Wants, Needs, and Other Feelings
by C. Jane Wright
Summary: Bolin's fed up and Korra figures a few things out. Like the fact Bolin is a man. LEMON. Some Irosami.
1. Chapter 1

Warning- Author's Rant (you can skip if you want):

My take on the new development: sorry, Mako, it's totally not cool to continue dating one girl and have feelings for another. Should have broken up with her when you kissed Korra. Obviously the writers want them together- GTFOH. Tahno's sexy but out of his league since he lost his bending. Tarrlock's lost his bending and power so no. Amon's too evil. Bolin is more worthy on the other hand… if only he weren't a goof _all_ the time. I get the feeling he could be so much stronger but he underestimates himself/ doesn't have proper training. In a perfect world, Bolin would be with her because he's the complete package if he would assert himself (Sokka incarnate lol). Here's my story of him asserting himself. Enjoy.

* * *

He lay flat on the mat, staring up at the ceiling, silently counting backwards from one hundred. His normally gelled back hair is tousled and unruly but his mint green eyes remained focused.

"Bolin?" she said, mildly shocked from his solitary presence at the gym when she walked in. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking," he said from the floor.

"Don't hurt yourself," Korra joked but was further shocked when he didn't laugh or joke back.

He didn't even crack a smile. Genuinely concerned at this point, she sat down next to him.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I'm going to go to the Earth Kingdom."

"What?" she was taken aback by the alien thought. "Why? And since when have you been thinking about going to the Earth Kingdom?"

"After my parents died, all I've ever known is Republic City and my brother. Then you came along and… there has to be more out there. Maybe I can learn something from the Earth Kingdom about my roots. Maybe I can learn to be a better bender and person."

"You can't be serious! What's gotten into you? You're not yourself right now. Bo, you're already a great bender and you're the best guy I know. I can always count on you. You can't just leave! What about Mako? What about Amon?"

He involuntarily flinched at the accusation in her tone but then his heart sent him another reminder: when she got back from being kidnapped, it was Mako who had his arms around her, not him. Lightly, he said, "You guys are fine without me. You're the Avatar, Korra. You're gonna stop Amon with or without my help. In fact, I think I'm getting in the way."

"That's not true! Avatar Aang had his friends. That was the only way he brought down the Firelord! You're my friend, Bolin. I need you."

The unspoken words, _don't be selfish_, tugged at his heart but he remained resolute. He sat up and peered into her pleading ocean blue eyes. "If you were my friend, you'd know I can't stay because, Korra, I'm in love with you."

She looked like she was just slapped. Without giving her a chance to respond, he put his hand up. "I get it. You like Mako, not me. That's why I should leave."

"You don't have to go. Besides, Mako has a girlfriend and it's not gunna happen with us or anything."

"But if he didn't have a girlfriend?" and judging by Asami's reaction last they spoke, he won't for long.

She didn't say anything. After a moment of silence, he started to stand. "I'm sure you came in here to train. I'll go find Pabu and pack my stuff. Man, Mako's gonna blow steam out his ears for a week. Wish I could've seen that," he somewhat chuckled, a ghost of his usual good humor.

Following suit, she stood though her eyes were on the spot he formerly occupied on the ground. "How would you get there?" she posed the casual question, too numb to think of anything else.

"I can walk. It might take a few months but I'll get there eventually. Pabu can do a few tricks for money and I'll use it to buy some food. I'll be fine."

A few months… he meant his absence to be permanent. The thought of his leaving and never coming back affected her in a way she didn't think was possible. Her hand struck out and grasped his. A sense of panic overcame her as she stared up at him.

"Wait, Bo, this is crazy. You can't go. I had no idea you felt like this, I mean, yeah, you flirt but love is-"

"But you don't feel the same. I get it, Korra, but I can't stay here and watch you two," he sounded sympathetic, assuring even.

"No, Bolin, you can't do this out of nowhere! I- I-" she gave up on words and crushed her lips to his.

Her heart jumped unexpectedly and his eyes widened. The kiss lasted only a moment before Korra broke away. Bolin had the most comical look on his face and if they were in a different situation, she would have laughed.

"Uh, Korra, what just happened?"

"I don't want you to go."

"Yeah, but do you…" he dared to hope, "like me?"

She seemed torn. "I don't know. I only knew I didn't want you to leave. I love being around you and you always make me happy. I don't know if I like you like that but, don't go."

That made him so happy, he could dance but he forced himself to remember the reality of her words. Straightening himself, he said in a very un-Bolin fashion, "I don't want to be strung along, Korra. You have no idea how much it hurt to see you kiss Mako."

"I don't want to hurt you either. I want to try this. Bo, kiss me."

For a second she thought he would continue to stand there with his jaw slack and his eyes unbelieving. But then he pulled her close and brought his lips down to hers. This kiss was slow, their lips moving against each other in soft exploration. His arm wrapped around her waist while his other caressed her face. Pressed against him, she felt every hard muscle in his body and wondered how it escaped her that he was a man. She had her arms loosely around his neck but when his tongue licked her bottom lip, her hands gripped his hair. Her nails scraped his scalp in a way that made him shiver.

His lips hotly trailed down to her neck, eliciting all kinds of feelings she _never_ thought she'd get from Bolin. When he nibbled a particularly sensitive area, a moan escaped her lips. Hearing this, he was relentless on this one spot. Unable to bear it, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist to bring them closer if that was possible. He carried her to the closest wall as he continued to assault her neck. Pushed against a wall, she jerked his face back to kiss her. The kiss was intense, heated, full of tongue and teeth and biting. Her fingers dug into his back, causing a powerful reaction in his pants.

He broke away and gasped, "I think we're going too fast."

She frantically shook her head no. "Not fast enough," and brought his lips back to hers.

Who was he to argue with a pretty girl? Especially the girl he loved. This time, she left his lips to kiss across his strong jaw and down his throat. The action made him buck his hips against her. She threw her head back, hissing in delight before she rocked against the large erection. He shuddered, his eyes closing briefly.

"Korra, are you sure about this?"

"Don't doubt yourself. You're an earth bender- now be forceful and stubborn in what you want!" she cried in frustration.

At that, his eyes twinkled in mischief and his lips curled upward. He looked like his old self again. His hands slid her shirt off. He ripped her bindings down the center as she watched in excitement. Once his mouth reached her dark nipple, she gave a sigh of bliss. He licked and blew lightly. If her legs weren't already wrapped around his waist, she would have collapsed because her knees gave out.

Noticing her reaction, he lifted her off the wall and carefully laid them down to the ground. His lips traveled from her breasts down to her sensitive stomach. He peppered her with kisses all over until he reached her hips. She had her hands on his shoulders and licked her lips in anticipation. He tugged off her pelt and bindings, leaving her bare. His eyes glanced up from between her thighs with a heat in them she's never seen before. He kissed her inner thighs. She gasped as he pressed his lips to her clit. His tongue licked up and down her slit at first but when he thrust it in, she cried out. She pulled at his hair and her thighs tightened around his head. But he enjoyed the pain almost as much as he enjoyed drinking her. The pad of his thumb pushed against her clit and she was suddenly blinded by stars as she clenched against his tongue and shattered.

"Bolin!" she cried.

He emerged with a satisfied smile and placed his chin on her toned stomach. He loved how beautiful she looked with her hair fanned out, eyes closed, body recovering. When her dark blue eyes opened, she met his gaze.

Catching her breath, she ordered, "You should take your clothes off. Now."

He did as commanded without hesitation. She greatly appreciated seeing his heavily muscular chest and quickly felt the need to explore every crevice with her tongue. She categorized the thought for a later time. But when she saw him pull off his pants, she grew worried. The size she vaguely felt before was not exaggerated whatsoever. The man is _huge_. She had to tell herself that she was the Avatar and that she should be brave. An uncharacteristic nervous chuckle escaped her.

When she looked into his eyes again, she felt reassured though. This is Bolin, the guy she would trust with her life. He crawled up her body and leaned down to sweetly kiss her. His hands parted her thighs even further and held her there. He inched into her very gradually.

"I love you," he whispered onto her lips.

He filled her completely and perfectly. Electricity ran through her womb. She gasped for air but nipped his neck for assurance.

He started to thrust keeping the pace deliberate and solid. She almost vied for a faster pace but instead savored in the slow burning. She wasn't sure how long they kept the constant push and pull until he hit her spot. Like he did to her neck, he was relentless to her most sensitive area here and increased the speed. The orgasm hit her more deeply than the first, sending her body shaking and convulsing around him. As she milked him, he finally came with two last thrusts. He groaned as he fell to the side, pulling her on top of him. She loved feeling engulfed by his large body.

"I think it's safe to say I like you," she panted.

"Win for me," he grinned.

"You'll stay?"

"After that? You better believe it."

They sighed contently and snuggled into each other.


	2. Chapter 2

"…Korra, I think I love you."

Her eyes glanced around at the secluded, earthy part of the Air Temple as she thought about what she was going to say. She contemplated laughing in his face but civilly said, "Mako, I'm sorry things didn't work out with Asami. And I'm flattered but there's something you don't know. I was hoping Bolin and I could sit you down sometime so we could explain it to you together but this kinda makes that awkward. I'll just say it: I'm going out with Bolin."

His eyes bugged out (she had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing this time) and he said, a bit stupefied, "Like in a relationship?"

"Yeah. Actually, it's pretty serious."

"You literally got back six days ago. When did this happen?"

She shrugged, casually saying, "We were training together at the gym yesterday and something clicked."

"How'd it get serious then?"

"How else would it get serious?"

Betrayal bitterly bit into his expression, making her feel some pity for the firebender. "I thought you said you liked me," he coldly said.

"And I thought you had a girlfriend. Things change," she sighed at how insensitive she sounded. "Mako, maybe you should try to patch things up with Asami. I mean, she's a nice girl and you like her, right?"

"I don't think you heard what I said before; I think I _love _you."

"No, Mako, you don't. You don't 'think' you love a person. You either do or you don't. There's no 'confusion' about it at all. I didn't really get that before but now I do. Bolin loves me…" her eyes softened significantly at the thought. She returned to the present and told him, "Do yourself a favor. Go back to Asami."

His eyes dropped to the ground. Almost like a kicked puppy, he mumbled, "I can't. She dumped me."

Rage came alive in Korra. "_She _dumped _you_? You mean you're not the one who broke up with her?"

Defensively, he said, "I never said that. All I said was I wasn't with Asami anymore and I think I love you."

She sniffled distastefully. "It's a good thing I found Bolin when I did. Otherwise, I would have ended up with you."

Korra turned abruptly and stomped away, effectively ending the conversation, and dramatically making her feelings towards him as of now very clear.

Her steps became lighter and faster as she meandered around the Air Temple. She broke into a run when she finally saw him at a fair distance. Bolin seemed to be entertaining Tenzin's kids with a few earthbending tricks. He kicked the ground with his foot and the earth beneath the three children's feet shot up. The children laughed as they fluttered down from the height. None of them noticed the Avatar until, only a few feet away, she raised her arms to earth bend. Three walls and a roof jumped up around a very surprised Bolin. The fourth wall set it a second later, after she was pressed flush against him.

In utter darkness, she blindly crushed her lips to his. The thoroughly satisfying, open mouth kiss melted into a series of quick pecks that only ended when she hugged him. His large, safe arms came around her, bringing a sense of comfort she felt to her soul.

"What happened?" he chuckled.

"Your brother's a jerk. I'm glad it's you, Bo."

He wanted to question what his brother had done but from outside this tiny, makeshift rock room Meelo was making kissing noises, Ikki was singing little nursery rhymes about kissing, and Jinora was loudly explaining how she'd recently read a love story that involved a kissing scene.

"We're going to have to leave eventually," he said, grinning.

"I think we should wait until the kids are gone."

"So for now, it's just you and me and this conveniently placed rock. Oh, gee, I wonder how we'll pass the time."

Lightly laughing, she murmured a part of Ikki's nursery rhyme, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G," and delved in for another kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

She could honestly say she's never felt this way before. They were still the same; same girl, same boy, same outings, same laughs, same training. But everything was so radically different. Their outings held undercurrents of something bigger than themselves, their eyes met in quiet connection over the laughter, their training mimicked their nights.

She felt precious and cherished and loved.

She noticed the subtle changes in herself. While she was undauntedly aggressive and domineering in some respects, she also became more even tempered in others. More and more, she loved waking up every morning and wearing these feelings like a comfortable second skin she's had forever. And living together makes all the easier to be constantly be in contact in some way, shape, or form.

Obviously, this caused some irritation to the other members of Team Avatar. Mako sulked worse than when she first met him. Asami avoided group gatherings with every effort to ignore Mako and she looked rueful whenever she saw the couple together. Tenzin, flabbergasted at first, learned to ignore the fact they frequently spend nights together. Last night was one of the rarer nights when they slept in separate beds.

_I'm falling into a plush of soft emotions in the hard arms of an earthbender_, she mused, _would that make me weaker or stronger?_

Seeing how Amon was in the picture, she desperately hoped for the second. But deep, deep down, she knew it wasn't really about Amon. She knew it was about her ego as the Avatar. After all, the Avatar is the strongest person in the world, or at least, she's supposed to be.

"Korra, there's sweet looking food for breakfast. Come on!" he animatedly said.

She doubled over from laughing so hard. His expression broke from cheesy grin to melodramatic heartbreak. "Did—did I say something funny?"

Korra took a deep breath to reply but more laughter blurted out instead. She wildly shook her hand in a gesture of don't-mind-me. A tiny voice of doubt whispered to her, _oh, I'm screwed. He's a man-child. That's all he'll bring me: weakness._

This thought immediately sobered her.

He won't make her weak. Love makes a person stronger. Otherwise they wouldn't say "Love conquers all". His love for her could only be a good thing.

Unthinkingly, she cupped his face and kissed him. Pulling away, he was rubbing the back of his neck and saying, "I was hoping to eat breakfast today."

She awkwardly struggled to find a reply or retort but what could she really say to that? Korra, the Avatar, was struck speechless.

Once he saw the effect this had on her, he smiled and leaned down to kiss her.

She made up her mind, whispering against his lips, "We can eat breakfast in bed."

"Smartest idea ever! I'll go get the food. Then we can continue," he wiggled his brow.

Smirking, she sat down at the edge of the bed. A look of raw devious challenge emitted from her as she gestured towards the door. Oblivious as usual, he lightly skipped out of the room. She didn't move an inch until he came back with two plates in tow. He handed her one and chattered about his journey to the kitchen.

"Pema didn't like the fact we were doing this and when I tried to tell her that you didn't feel well enough to get out of bed, she gave me this look but-"

He stopped talking when Korra pulled her top off to reveal she wasn't wearing bindings. Smirk firmly in place, she took some mushy food and smeared it between her breasts all the way down beneath her pants.

"You wanted breakfast in bed, didn't you?" she casually asked.

Her hand circled around her breasts and led a trail down her stomach. She finally tossed him a 'come hither' gesture with the crook of her finger when he seemed too shocked to move.

That snapped him out of it. He was on her faster than she thought humanly possible. Bolin alternated between licking, sucking, and biting. The flavor of the food clashed with the taste of her skin, making him moan. He followed the path like a starving man, only stopping when he reached her pants.

His fingers dug painfully into her trembling thighs as he wretched them open. After dragging off her pants and bindings, he bowed his head for the meal she prepared. His hands slid up to her hips to keep them pinned down. It gave "eating out" a whole, delicious new twist. Her insides, already on fire, started shooting electricity through her body. Panting heavily, she closed her eyes at the rise and fall of her high.

"Bo," she cried breathlessly, "I'm hungry too."

She pulled him up by his hair to give him a bruising kiss. His eyes glazed in surprise. In an ungraceful and harried fumble, he managed to get his clothes off. True, in the last few days since they started this relationship she hasn't really, well, ever given him as he's given her but her normally selfish pride has relented. The thought of this wasn't so much as demeaning as it was appealing now. After all, water benders are best known for their sensuality, even if Korra was a bit rough at times. Then again, she got the feeling Bolin didn't mind rough. She filled her hand with the same dish and she tightly gripped him, lathering him with the substance in an up and down motion. He groaned, little choppy sounds escaping him. Oh yes, he definitely didn't mind unnecessary roughness.

Her hands skimmed down the wide, heavily muscled expanse of his chest, her lips following their movement. Reaching his abs, she bit down and sucked. The sound he was making boiled her blood more than she thought it would. Finally, she reached her destination. Meeting his eyes, she felt a rush of power. He was putty in her hands. Why hadn't she done this earlier? Stupid, stupid pride will never get in the way again. She licked from the base to the highly sensitive tip. The taste of him and food burned her insides. Her tongue circled twice before she took him into her mouth. But he was a big boy. No way could she fit him entirely. Instead, she waterbended the sweat to swirl around the rest. Due to the unexpected shock of this he lost it a few moments after her stroke of creative genius. Surprising herself, she swallowed.

She released him, a cheeky smile playing on her features. He quickly recovered what with the great amount of stamina he possesses.

"Time to get clean!" he exclaimed, "But I think I need a water bender's help to reach certain places."

"I hear there's a new water bender girl fresh from the Southern Tribe."

"What's she like?"

Korra looked up as if in thought, "She kicks butt, smart, pretty, and I think she's the Avatar."

He shrugged, inflection in his tone, "Too bad she can't be here right now. Guess I'll just settle for you."

She teasingly water whipped him with the sweat from their bodies. A tangled heap, they got to the bathroom for a very steamy shower.

* * *

AN: You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?

Fine. I actually love continuing this and all the reviews egging me on are hard to ignore. I have this weird emotional attachment to both Avatar series – I just LOVE them. This was _supposed_ to be a ONESHOT but fuck it all, I'm the author so I can make up the rules. Decided to somewhat follow the plot of the series. Thank your fellow reviewers if you like this.


	4. Chapter 4

When Amon took over the city, she knew it was her time to finally step up to the threat. Though she hated to admit it, Bolin could see she was deeply unnerved by the masked tyrant. They all were but real dread pulsed from her in a way the others didn't quite feel. He would comfort her at those times when everything was just too much, pretending he wasn't affected and laughing it off when she asked how he stayed strong. Something that will haunt him for the rest of his life was the image of Korra the day the big mess began: As she stared out at her ruined beloved city from the pipe the group was hiding in, he could see the incredible amount of pain in her eyes. Bolin had stood up, clasped her hand in his and squeezed it. The other two watched for a moment too before they glared at opposite sides of the ground, defeat weighing on their shoulders.

Since then, they'd been forced to go into hiding like rats in the sewers with the other homeless. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when everyone was supposedly sleeping he could hear her muffled crying. She'd try to stop the tears, swiping continuously, but they continued to drip from her lovely ocean blue eyes. Her unspoken words were almost palpable: _what if I can't stop him? what if I'm not strong enough?_ Those nights all he could do was hold her in his arms and whisper over and over again into her ear _It'll be ok. __I love you_. During the day, they acted as if nothing was amiss but there were faint signs of their increased connection. The darkness in their lives brought them closer. The touches linger longer, the kisses sweeter, the secrets greater.

He convinced her when she was at her worst that she could continue. It touched his heart to think that he could affect her in some way because she still doesn't realize how much she affects him. What she sees is only the tip of the iceberg.

Although left feeling like second choice, Asami eventually warmed up to Mako again. There was a hint of desperation in their rekindling of a relationship; kind of like 'it's the end of life as we know it, might as well'. It was a sentiment they all shared. This is it. This is the time for the ultimate fight. It would probably leave someone without bending or hurt, dead even. It wasn't long before General Iroh came into town and when he did, they would act.

A chill ran down his spine this particular night. Something will happen.

"Korra…" She didn't say anything. Only her eyes on his were any indication she was paying any attention. "I – I love you."

"I know."

"With all this crazy happening right now, I don't want you hurt. I want to be with you everyday for the rest of our lives. I want us to share everything. I love you so much Korra," he lightly lifted his hand, earthbending the gift in front of her. "I think this is how people at the Water Tribe do it."

The engagement necklace hovered before her face. The round, smooth stone was carved so delicately, so beautifully, she almost cried. It was strung to an ocean blue ribbon that matched her eyes. It was a carving of the sun, a crescent moon on either side, with a smaller jagged star in the center.

"You're more than the Avatar. You're more than a bender. You are light in every way I could think of. If we survive this, will you marry me?"

Tentatively, she touched the dangling necklace.

"You must have spent days working on that," was all she could manage before she dissolved into tears of pure happiness. "I love you, Bolin. That first day I told you I loved you as a friend but now I love you so much I don't know what I'd do without you. I was an idiot for not seeing that in the first place."

"Is that a 'yes'?"

"You should have figured that out by now. _Yeah_."

"Just checking." He grinned, deliriously happy and took her into his arms. After tying the necklace around her neck, he kissed her hand, then her forehead, reverently. She was still crying but didn't try to fight back the tears as she gingerly grasped the necklace.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Now you have something waiting for you at the end. Our future. Together. So go out there and kick butt."

She kissed him then, unable to reply in any other way because her throat hurt from the crying and overwhelming emotion. He was her big, strong earthbender. But he's wrong: he's her light. No one else could make her laugh or brighten up her day the way he could. When it feels like the world is about to crumble down (and that is a legitimate possibility right now), he would do anything to save her. He might not be serious most of the time (and while she loves him for that, it can get tiring at times) but when he is, he makes it count.

She knows what she has to do now to make sure no one feels victimized ever again at Amon's hands. She'll do it all to make the future a possibility again.


	5. Chapter 5

She pulled back from the kiss for a single breath before she fell back into it again. Short breath, kiss, short breath, kiss. They haven't slowed down this much since the beginning of their relationship. It was a pull-and-push that mimicked the movements of the tides. Unable to lose any more time, she broke away from his arms. Ocean blue locked with mint green for an infinite moment.

She smiled, hope in her tone, "See you later."

His face reflected concern as he urged her, "Be careful."

"I will. Good luck," she softly said, "If you're going into the mountains, you should bring Naga," to her polar bear dog, she said, "Take care of Bolin for me… I love him."

Mako said his heartfelt goodbye to Asami. Reluctantly, Korra moved over to Mako's side and turned around. Mako volunteered for this in an attempt to renew their friendship and Bolin found no fault in that. She looked over her shoulder one last time in the distance. He watched her walk away with a silent prayer she'll come back in one piece. General Iroh cleared his throat to indicate it's time to get on the polar bear dog.

Bolin was completely wrapped in his thoughts as he led Naga to their destination. He didn't even notice that the two behind him had struck a conversation.

"Was that fire bender your boyfriend?" Iroh asked the beautiful girl holding onto him.

"_Ex_-boyfriend, thank you," she wanted no mistake on that point.

"His loss."

"Oh? To who's gain?"

"Some fire benders can't handle the heat," his eyes flicked back to meet hers. "I can."

In a decidedly Asami-style, she coyly said, "What makes you think I'm looking?"

"I think I can be persuasive."

"Not interested. I'm done with boys."

"As any woman should be. That's why you should find a man."

"And let me guess; you're just the man for the job."

He straightened his back and puffed out his chest. "Well, I am the General of the United Forces, the grandson of the Fire Lord, and a very capable firebender."

"I'm sure your fellow men in arms are so impressed. Try again."

"General is the highest rank in the army and I am the youngest to achieve it. I'm only twenty-four."

"Two strikes."

He paused for a second. "When I was little, I hated going to international meetings with my father because the waterbenders stank of fish and I had to be polite."

She giggled lightly. "Much better."

"Has anyone ever told you that your laugh is beautiful?"

"Sorry, but I'm immune to flattery. It comes with being daddy's rich little girl for most of my life."

"I heard about Mr. Sato… I'm sorry. My grandfather often told me stories of his father and I think I can understand what you're going through. To have your own father hurt you in such a way is unforgivable."

This touched her heart, bringing a blush to her cheeks. She gently laid her head onto his back. "Thanks," she murmured.

Bolin, breaking from his thoughts of Korra, announced, "We're here. Get ready. Pretty sure we're not going to be met with smiles and high fives when we get in."

After instructing the animals to stay behind, the trio cautiously walked towards the fences.

"Why are there fence posts without any fences?" were Asami's famous last words before they were electrocuted into unconsciousness.

/…./

"Where is she?"

Downcast golden eyes flickered up. He acknowledged, "Bolin."

"Where is she?" he repeated, this time more gravely. By the time the trio finished cleaning up Mr. Sato's mess, they learned belatedly that the rest of the group had gone to the Water Tribe. They were instructed to stay put but Bolin insisted and Iroh allowed him to take a ship.

"She's being healed right now. Amon, he-"

Mako was cut off by the sound of a door opening. All eyes turned towards Katara. Bolin felt like he watching a slow motion nightmare. "There's nothing more I can do for her."

"But you're the best healer in the world," Lin protested. "You have to keep trying."

The elderly woman, a ghost of her former self, wearily sighed. "Korra can still airbend but her connection with the other three elements has been severed."

Korra walked slowly through the doors, every step costing her. She looked up at everyone gathered, her friends and loved ones, everyone she's disappointed and let down. Bolin reached for her, but she stepped away before his fingers could brush her arm.

"No, Korra, don't," he begged quietly. "Don't."

Her head snapped up to face him. The unbelievable amount of pain in her expression shattered his heart instantly. Wide cold blue eyes, paled skin, parted lips. He couldn't breathe from how much that felt like a physical blow. She glanced down to the necklace that remained at her neck and back to him. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and took off running. He could barely keep up with her pace. It was like she was trying to run away from Amon all over again. She ran like she could outrun everything that happened to her. They ran all the way to the edge of the ice because she couldn't even stop to jump on her best friend, Naga.

Words couldn't justify how she felt at that exact moment when she saw the ocean at the near distance but she did know you don't leave behind the one you love when you're at your lowest. Love means you're in it together for better and for worse. Love means holding on to each other, especially when the ocean crashes against you. When they stopped Bolin swooped down to kiss her forehead. She squeezed his hand and let go, knowing he understood what she needed. She walked away, her focus on the ocean.

Mesmerized, she sat down to watch the ocean she was once connected to. It was strange to watch. She used to always feel the tide, no matter the distance. It reminded her of her roots, that she had somewhere to call home.

If only she could feel something now other than the numbness that grasped her soul.

Furious tears overtook her. She crumbled down as her resolve did. The numbness slowly melted away, a longing taking its place; a genuine longing for fulfillment, world peace, and happiness for all. No one deserved to have a part of them ripped out like that.

She sensed someone other than Bolin standing behind her. "Tenzin, I just want to be alone for a minute."

"But you called me." She whirled around.

Avatar Aang stood before her, a reassuring smile on his face. "You've finally connected with your spiritual self."

"How?"

"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."

Aang touched his hand to her forehead, sending a sense of warmth and peace that ran deep inside her. She is the Avatar. She will help her people. She will restore balance in the world. She will love.

When she came down from the Avatar state, she turned to see an approaching Bolin. He beamed at her and she reciprocated. She ran into his arms. Home.

He whispered, "I love you."

He starred down into her eyes and kissed her.

"I love you too."

* * *

Author's Rant (once again, skip if you want):

I bet you guys thought I was Masami. Nope! Mako is still a tool, no matter what happened in the end. Alright, maybe I'm a little harsh but the reason Makkora is forced on us is because Zutara didn't happen last series. Here's the difference though: Mako is no Zuko. He can't even hold a candle to how amazing Zuko was. Zuko actually grew as a person, overcame his haunted past, and forged powerful friendships/ chemistry. And Mako? He's a shallow mimic. He didn't even officially break up with Asami! So I gave Asami the ending she deserved! How about new, crack cannon Irosami? Hell yeah.

I'll continue the story when the actual show continues so let's hope there's enough patience to go around!

UPDATE: If you want more Irosami, I made them a oneshot ;]


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